Cyclists and walkers along West Lake Sammamish Parkway will have a smoother, safer trip after workers repave more than a mile of aging pathway adjacent to the popular thoroughfare.

The work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 21-22). The southbound (west) lane of the street will be closed to traffic in segments as crews grind and then repave the pathway. Flaggers will direct traffic around the work, one direction at a time. Motorists should be prepared for potentially long delays, or use an alternate route.

Approximately 6,000 feet of pathway will be repaired in all within a four-mile stretch, from Southeast 34th Street north to the Bellevue city limit near Northeast 19th Place. Repaving sections of the pathway will eliminate potholes and uneven edges between the vehicle lane and the pedestrian-bicycle path

Several hundred bicyclists and pedestrians use the pathway along West Lake Sammamish Parkway in a typical week.

The repaving work is part of Bellevue's annual overlay program, in which all city roadways are evaluated and those most in need are repaved -- before a much more costly full replacement is needed. This year, more than 25 lane miles of roadway are being repaved.